It was in the dead of summer, the month of June. Coming from the midwest, the dead of summer actually involves death. If you really think about, the word d-e-a-t-h actually has the word h-e-a-t in it. It was hot. Really hot.
Hot and humid in Missouri is actually equivalent to Macaroni and Cheese at KFC or Peanut Butter and Jelly at a preschool picnic. Those two just seem to go together. This year, however, being 1998, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa seemed to fit together like an expensive puzzle.
I'd like to call the Summer of 1998 a match made in heaven. For baseball fans, at least.
1998. Heat. Sweat. Cardinals. Cubs. Sosa. McGwire. June. Was the tune.
But remember May too, because that was when pitchers really shined too.
Two dates in May really stand out to me when I look at possibly "the greatest baseball season known to man." Of course, one can talk about the ever-famous-race-to-the-end by "Big Mac" and "Slammin Sammy" to top Mr. Maris in which home runs were getting hit as often as teeth were getting pulled at a cavity clinic.
I know I teased you with the marriage of Mark and Sammy, but my two dates actually involve the feats of an old, grumpy, rather hefty man (who drank alot) and an unproven rookie. And as much as Cardinals fans will hate hearing this, one of the two involve the Cubs.
Don't worry St. Louis, I. Still. Love. You. (but not as much as my Royals)
So let's jump into it.
May 6, 1998.
The peak of Kerry Wood's career. Unfortunately for Wood, the peak of his career was also his very first start. It was like nothing we've ever seen before. His line: 9 innings (a complete game), 1 hit, and 20 strikeouts. Yes, Twen-Ty K's. I remember watching this game on WGN Chicago. This was by far the best thing ever shown on that channel. In The Heat Of The Night, you don't compare. But well done Kerry. You are truly a one hit wonder (pardon the pun) that no one really knows about.
May 17th, 1998
Just 11 days later, a chubby man pitched well too. He was perfect. By perfect, I mean complete. About as complete as you can get on a baseball diamond. The full 9 innings, no hits, no walks, no errors by the defense. Everything goes your way on nights like these.
It was one of those nights where you wake up, find a twenty dollar bill in your pocket, get a raise, and come home to nice seasoned steak on the grill. A Gem....
Fun fact:
And Wells, amazingly enough, attended the same high school, as another Yankee legend, Don Larsen. Yeah he's the one who tossed for perfection in the 1956 World Series. At the time, those were the only two perfect games in Yankee history. Good work, Boomer. I never really liked you though.
So as I close, even though the Summer of '98 was known for home runs, don't forget the awesomeness of Kerry Wood and David Wells...at least for a night. And always remember: home run records in the modern era are only as strong as the steroids.
